Harry Corscadden Award

The Harry Corscadden Award for Outstanding Service to the Club is a Club Award first introduced by President Brian Clements at the Club Assembly 20 June 2011. Introducing the Award, President Brian stated that Harry Corscadden was an outstanding member of this Club who joined in 1959. He died in his 101st year having been a member for nearly fifty years and was responsible for setting up Harmony Community Trust and Glebe House as highlighted in this website. Quietly dignified and hard-working he was the epitome of all that is good within Rotary (see below). It is therefore an award which Council do not give lightly and try to seek a worthy recipient who the Club feel shares Harry's ideals and high ethical standards. More below.

The Corscadden family are delighted to have the Outstanding Service Award in the name of Harry Corscadden and, very generously, have funded the Award for 5 years. click on Award image to enlarge

2014 Award

The Harry Corscadden Award for Outstanding Service to the Club 2014 has been awarded to Walter Rader in recognition of his exceptional work with Youth Action. He developed, with Eric Rainey, a unique partnership with Youth Action producing a resource pack for those young people trapped with no skills, education and no job opportunities (more here). Accepting the Award, Walter thanked the Club stating he was delighted with the links formed, noting that he was passionate about young people, their role in society and how Rotary can help. He feels young people just need encouragement and this partnership is a perfect example of Service Above Self. He also stated that he was delighted that so many members were getting involved.

Previous Awards

2013

2012

2011

The Harry Corscadden Award for Outstanding Service to the Club 2013 was been awarded to Honorary Secretary Ivan McMinn for his outstanding achievement in raising over £70,000 by running in the London Marathon, 21 April 2013.

Diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and having had a major operation he expressed a wish to repay the dedication and skill of the doctors and nurses and astonishingly shortly afterwards signed up to run in the 2013 and 14 London Marathons to raise money for Cancer Focus NI and SOS Bus NI. The charities are extremely appreciative and grateful.

The 2012 award was presented to Club members Rtns David Brennan and Dick Thornton for their outstanding collection of spectacles for Vision Aid Overseas for many years culminating with the collection of over 100,000 spectacles for the District 1160 Centenary Spectacles Project not only by the end of the 100th year of Rotary in Ireland but before it even began!

The inaugural award was presented to Jenny Boyd (wife of PP David) for "tirelessly working on the website, weekly report and other Club publications".

PP Dr Harry Corscadden LLd 1907-2008

A thoughtful and caring man greatly respected by all fortunate enough to know him and by many who never met him.

Harry Corscadden was born in Dromad, Co Leitrim on 4th May 1907, and lived in Mohill until 1922, when at the outbreak of the civil war in Ireland, his father, who had been the crown solicitor in Co. Leitrim, was forced to leave his home. Moving North, the family stayed for a while in Belfast whilst his father sought work, eventually joining a law practice in Ballymoney. He later became the Chief Crown Solicitor in Northern Ireland and was awarded a C.B.E.

Harry went to Portora Royal School in Enniskillen where he was a brilliant student, winning a Junior Scholarship in 1923. His name appears on the honours board in the school on the same panel as other notable men including Henry Francis Lyte, author of some well known hymns including 'Abide With Me' and Oscar Wilde, (whose name reputedly is in brighter gold lettering as it was in turn removed and then reinstated depending upon his public acceptance). Also on the scholarship board is Harry's contemporary at Portora ~ Samuel Beckett. Harry also enjoyed his sport at school and played for the rugby team. He claimed he once had the job of marking Frank Hewitt the only international to play for Ireland whilst still at school! After taking his degree at Trinity College, Dublin in 1928 Harry joined J K Currie & Son, a firm of solicitors in Ballymena. In 1931 he gained the silver medal and first place in the final examination of the Incorporated Law Society and in the same year was awarded his doctorate in Law. But failing to get an assurance of a future partnership in the firm he left and took up a post in the Civil Service, where he met and eventually married Joyce Wolf.

In 1940, taking a reduction in salary, he joined the Ulster Bank as assistant solicitor, becoming a director in 1953 and senior managing director from 1964 until his retirement in 1973. Outside the bank Harry played an active role in the community becoming involved in a large number of organisations. At various times he has served the community as Chairman of the Northern Ireland branch of the Institute of Directors and chairman of the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce. He also was a member of the Police Authority in Northern Ireland, the Post Office Users Council, The Marriage Guidance Council, The General Health Services Board and also served on the General, and other Synods of the Church of Ireland. When he was about 7 or 8 he was asked what he would like to be when he grew up and he answered 'A solicitor and a Mason', which he achieved at an early stage (and only just in that order!) thus starting a long involvement with the Masonic Order, rising to a high degree, and remaining active until his death.

In 1959 Harry was introduced to Rotary by Dr George Little when he joined the Rotary Club of Belfast. He became President of the Club in 1973-74 at the height of the troubles and was instrumental in the establishment of the Harmony Community Trust, one of the first of the organisations in Northern Ireland to bring together young people from the different communities. This was a project very close to Harry's heart and he kept an ongoing interest in the work of the Trust and was a frequent visitor, the last time being in September 2008. (for further information on Harmony Community Trust and Harry's involvementsee here).

He remained to the end of his life a very active and interested honorary member of the Club, attending the Christmas Lunch meeting less than a week before his death.

Harry was a Paul Harris Fellow and for his ongoing commitment to Rotary he was awarded an addition of a Sapphire pin, presented by District Governor Howard Caskie, on the occasion of his 100th birthday celebrations.

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